The invention relates to a method according to the preamble of the first patent claim. The method serves for attaching or fastening elements on surfaces of construction objects in the road traffic field, for example for attaching marking elements or signalling elements on roads or squares, in garages or multi-storey car parks or on house or tunnel walls, that is to say on surfaces which in particular consist of asphalt or concrete. The invention also relates to a device for carrying out the method and to an element being able to be attached with the method, according in each case to the preambles of the respective patent claims.
Known methods for attaching for example markings onto road surfaces are essentially based on two different processes, namely a process of thermally creating a material fit and a process of chemically creating a material fit.
According to a method of the first group, thermoplastic strips and the asphalt surface lying below this are melted down with a gas flame, so that the molten materials bond to one another after cooling. The disadvantage of this method lies in the fact that on the one hand a very large volume of the road surface needs to be heated and on the other hand the method is very time consuming due to the long heating-up and cooling-down phases. Furthermore the energy requirement is very high and the melting process is difficult to control and therefore little suited for automation. Handling of naked flames and gas containers furthermore entails safety risks and is therefore connected with an increased handling effort.
According to a method of the second group, solvent-containing coatings of paint are sprayed onto the designated surface. For this method the surface needs to be thoroughly cleaned prior to being coated, and then the marking geometries need to be covered or suitable stencils need to be positioned. Sprayed markings are deposited however only in a very superficial manner and, due to wear and abrasion, have mostly only a short serviceable life. Furthermore, during application or during abrasion of the coats of paint, solvent, colour particles and other partly noxious substances get into the environment. It is further known to attach premanufactured markings to surfaces using adhesives, such attaching having the same disadvantages as discussed above.
It is the object of the invention to provide a method for permanent or temporary attachment of elements to surfaces of construction objects in the road traffic field, i.e. to surfaces which in particular consist of asphalt or concrete.